Chelsea face a nightmare final three weeks of the transfer window with Eden Hazard being eyed by Real Madrid as Antonio Conte misses out on top targets.

As revealed by Duncan Castles in a Record Sport Onlineexclusive four weeks ago, Conte is becoming increasingly frustrated by the Stamford Bridge hierarchy's transfer policy.

The Italian, who guided Chelsea to the Premier League title in his first season, drew up a list of around 10 targets - including the likes of Leonardo Bonucci of Juventus - he wanted Roman Abramovich to sign.

So far he has been delivered none of them.

Conte is ready for the mammoth challenge ahead of him (Image: Chelsea FC via Getty)

And Ian McGarry, a football operations consultant, believes Hazard's departure to the Bernabeu may prove the breaking point.

He said: "The Madrid president Florentino Perez promised the fans he would deliver them another galactico.

"That galactico was Kylian Mbappe. He has turned his back on Real. They will now turn to their second target and that is Eden Hazard. They have admired him a long time. He has always imagined himself in the white kit of Real.

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"That will have a very interesting effect on Chelsea who have not spent anywhere near their rivals. Conte will be incredibly disappointed, to say the least."

McGarry feels Conte's decision to order Thibaut Courtois to take a penalty in the Community Shield defeat to Arsenal, as well as his decision to play last season's starting XI, was a message to Blues chiefs.

McGarry said: "Conte had players such as Virgil van Dijk on his list of targets and strikers in Romelu Lukaku to replace Diego Costa.

Alvaro Morata reacts (Image: Action Images via Reuters)

"Instead he got Alvaro Morata when Manchester United no longer wanted him because they signed Lukaku.

"It was no surprise to me that he started last Sunday 11 players who were there last season including Michy Batshuayi, who got less than a cameo in the last campaign.

"He also asked Courtois to take a penalty when, to my knowledge, he has never asked a keeper to take one before.

"Why would he do that in a showpiece at Wembley? It was a message to the board, 'this is what you have one to me'."

In our podcast, Duncan Castles added: "The Conte contract has been a catastrophe. Chelsea said they would give him another one. It kept failing to happen. When he did eventually sign one, it was for the same duration as the old one."